"Unfortunately, this hotel was nowhere near the standard we expected, especially for a hotel marketed and reviewed as being of a higher calibre. It certainly did not feel like a 5-star hotel, and it absolutely did not come close to other TUI Platinum or premium 5-star hotels we have stayed in before. I appreciate that everyone’s expectations are different, and maybe some people will think this sounds overly critical, but when you are paying for what is supposed to be a premium all-inclusive holiday, you naturally expect a certain level of quality, comfort and attention to detail. Sadly, this hotel missed the mark in too many areas.
Overall, if I had to rate the holiday out of 10, I would probably give it around a 6. However, that is largely because of the weather, the beach, the views and the general location. Those parts were lovely. The hotel itself was very mediocre and definitely not somewhere we would return to or recommend to anyone expecting a proper premium 5-star all-inclusive experience.
The rooms were one of the biggest disappointments. They were absolutely tiny, to the point where you could barely move around comfortably. There was very little space, and it never felt relaxing or luxurious. The finish of the room was also not great. It felt cheap and cheerful, almost like it had been done up just enough to look acceptable in photos, but without any real quality behind it. For an expensive hotel, you would expect the rooms to feel a lot more premium, but they really did not. The attention to detail just was not there.
The air conditioning was another major issue. It was absolutely diabolical and barely worked at all. We had three different maintenance people come to look at it, but nothing improved. The room stayed warm and uncomfortable, which made it very difficult to sleep properly. What made this even more frustrating is that, after reading other reviews, it seems we were not the only ones to experience problems with the air conditioning. For a hotel in a hot country, this should be one of the basics they get right, especially at this supposed standard.
The TV in the room was also poor. It had some strange app system installed, which meant you could not stream to it or play your own content. Of course, you do not go on holiday to sit and watch TV all day, but when you have children or you just want to put something on in the evening, it is useful to have the option. Most of the channels were in Spanish or German, with very little choice in English. Other hotels we have stayed in have had a much better selection of channels and streaming options, so again, this felt below the standard we expected.
The bathroom was also very average. There was nothing particularly premium about it and it lacked the facilities you would normally expect in many European hotels, such as a bidet-style toilet attachment. It was functional, but nothing more than that. Again, it was just another example of the hotel looking like it had been refurbished to a point, but not properly finished to a high standard.
The minibar was honestly atrocious. There were three bottles of water in there and they were never replenished. No soft drinks, no beer, no wine, no snacks, nothing. For an all-inclusive hotel, this was really disappointing. You would expect at least water, soft drinks and perhaps a few basic drinks to be stocked and topped up, especially in a hotel that is meant to be premium. Instead, it felt very bare minimum.
Room service was also charged as an extra, which makes very little sense when you are staying in an all-inclusive hotel. If food and drinks are already included, it feels unreasonable to then charge a premium just for bringing food up to the room, especially when it is presumably coming from the same restaurant.
The food overall was okay, but nothing amazing. There was not a huge amount of variety, and it became very samey quite quickly. It was not terrible, but it was not the kind of food experience you would expect from a well-reviewed 5-star hotel. On the first day we arrived, we were given food that looked like slop and seemed like it had clearly been prepared hours earlier. That was not a great first impression at all.
Another disappointment was the lack of food options around the pool area. There was no easy way to get snacks or proper food by the pool, which is something we have had at many other all-inclusive hotels. When you are with children, this makes a big difference. You do not always want to leave the pool area and go through the whole process of heading to the restaurant just to get something small.
The drinks were also a big let-down, especially for children. The orange juice and apple juice tasted like pure syrup and had to be watered down to make them drinkable. They did not taste fresh or good quality at all. For a family hotel, you would expect decent drink options for children, not overly sweet syrup-style juices.
The ice cream situation was also disappointing. You had to pay for ice creams, which felt strange in an all-inclusive hotel. In many other hotels we have stayed at, basic ice cream is included, and then you pay extra for premium branded ice creams if you want them. That makes sense. But having to pay for ice creams at all felt cheap and unnecessary, especially when travelling with children.
The pool area itself was very average. It was not awful, but it was nothing special either. There was only one bar by the pool, which became annoying and did not feel adequate for the size of the hotel. The music around the pool was also frustrating. It was either constant Spanish music or depressing love songs. We were told by the entertainment team that the lifeguard controlled the music and just put on whatever he wanted, which really summed up the general lack of organisation and thought.
There was very little for children to do. The kids’ club was underwhelming and there was barely any proper entertainment for them. For a family holiday, this was a real shame. We have stayed in similar hotels where the children’s entertainment has been much better organised, more engaging and much more consistent. Here, it felt like another area where the hotel was doing the bare minimum.
There also was not much for adults either. The entertainment was okay, but nothing amazing. It did not feel like there was much atmosphere or much going on. Again, compared with other premium-style hotels we have stayed in, it felt very flat. There was another bar downstairs that looked amazing, but it was closed for the entire week we were there. That was really frustrating because it looked like it could have been one of the better areas of the hotel. The other bar was fine, but nothing special.
The hotel also had no proper shop where you could buy snacks, essentials or little bits for the room. There was just a strange vending machine that barely worked. For a hotel of this size and supposed quality, that seems like another basic thing missing.
The check-in experience was also not great. The front desk failed to explain that the wristbands opened the room door. We were given pool towel cards, so we ended up standing upstairs trying to use those to open the room, thinking they were the key cards, before having to go all the way back downstairs to find out the wristbands were what opened the door. It sounds small, but that is basic information that should have been clearly explained at check-in.
The lifts were also terrible. They seemed completely confused about what floor they were on. The date and time displayed were wrong, everything was in Spanish, and they would constantly take you to the wrong floor or say you were on one floor when you were actually on another. It became ridiculous after a while.
Overall, the whole hotel felt like it had been refurbished enough to look okay on the surface, but not enough to actually feel premium. So many small details were missing, and those details matter when a hotel is selling itself as a high-end all-inclusive option. It was not a terrible holiday, but it was not a great hotel either. It was just okay, and for the price and reputation, “just okay” is not really good enough.
The location, beach, views and weather were the best parts of the holiday. The hotel itself was a disappointment. It felt cheap and cheerful in too many areas, despite being marketed as something much better. I genuinely do not understand why it is rated so highly by so many people. We would not return, and we would not recommend it to anyone expecting a proper premium 5-star experience."
